U.S. DOT Volpe Center analysts play a pivotal role as liaisons to the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and provide expertise to strengthen federal efforts to protect the integrity of the Global Positioning System (GPS) during critical modernization efforts. The U.S. DOT Volpe Center experts is helping guide the pivot toward alternative modernization frameworks. This vital work ensures civil infrastructure and economic systems continue to receive accurate, uninterrupted GPS data while supporting the USSF-led transition back to upgrading the resilient, legacy Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) ground control system to manage next-generation GPS Block IIIF satellites.

To help align civil GPS priorities with the U.S. military’s evolving space and ground operations, U.S. DOT Volpe Center liaisons work collaboratively with USSF personnel and FAA leadership to resolve signal transition risks, expand civil monitoring capability, and communicate potential disruptions. The U.S. DOT Volpe Center previously coordinated U.S. DOT, FAA, and USSF efforts to mitigate potential civil signal impacts during past operational testing, including response efforts during testing events that exposed vulnerabilities in select GPS receiver behavior. Working closely with FAA, the 2nd Navigation Warfighter Squadron, and USSF stakeholders, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center isolated those issues and informed mitigation strategies that preserved critical operations for civil aviation and infrastructure systems.

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s coordination and rapid risk-mitigation efforts safeguarded civil signals for more than 330 million civilian GPS users, ensured uninterrupted service for GPS-based aviation systems supporting more than 900 million annual passengers, and enabled continuity for $1.4 trillion in U.S. economic activity reliant on GPS. The U.S DOT Volpe Center team is reallocating its technical and policy coordination at national-level GPS forums to support baseline ground system enhancements. Ongoing project activities focus on the revised ground control transition, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) modernization, and resilient civil-military signal monitoring collaboration across federal agencies.

This vital work aligns with White House priorities to strengthen national resilience through the responsible use of PNT services and Space Policy Directive-7, which establishes implementation actions and guidance for U.S. space-based PNT programs. By helping USSF navigate this critical architecture pivot, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center is helping maintain U.S. global leadership in PNT technologies, fostering interagency cooperation, and directly protecting the transportation systems that drive economic strength and national security.

About the U.S. DOT Volpe Center

Since 1970, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center has advanced transportation innovation for the public good, providing multimodal applied research, collaborating with federal, state, and industry partners, and multidisciplinary technical leadership and expertise to solve complex transportation challenges. Learn more at www.volpe.dot.gov.